A process for producing polymer moldings (M/T/B) with functional surfaces (O) for which    (I) a coating (B) is produced on a thermoplastic support sheet (T) by            (I.1) coating one surface (T.1) of (T) with at least one pigmented coating material (B.1) and        
(I.2) coating the resulting film (B.1) with at least one chemically or radiation curable coating material (B.2) to give the film (B.2) which following its curing gives a transparent coating (B.2),    (II) the resulting coated thermoplastic support sheet (T/B) is inserted into an open mold,    (III) the mold is closed and the uncoated side (T.2) of the coated thermoplastic support sheet (T/B) is contacted with a liquid polymeric material (M) to shape the coated thermoplastic support sheet (T/B) and join it firmly to the polymeric material (M), and the polymeric material (M) is caused to solidify, and    (IV) the resulting coated polymer molding (M/T/B), whose coating (B) is uncured, part-cured or full-cured is removed from the mold; where    (V) in step (I) and/or after the end of step (I) and/or in step (III) and/or after step (IV) the uncured or part-cured coating (B) is fully cured or after step (IV) the full-cured coating (B) is aftercured;the coating (B) being covered at least temporarily with a protective sheet (S), is known from international patent application WO 00/63015 A1. The process, however, gives polymer moldings (M/T/B) having unsatisfactory surface properties. In particular the functional surfaces (O) have inadequate leveling, an inadequate distinctiveness of the reflected image (DOI) and/or inadequate gloss. In many cases they also contain visible surface defects. This applies in particular to those cases where it was necessary to store the process product of step (I) for a relatively long time before carrying out step (II) and/or the process product of step (IV) for a relatively time before carrying out step (V).
Overall the polymer moldings (M/T/B) produced with the known process frequently lack what has been termed automobile quality (in this respect see also European patent EP 0 352 298 B1, page 15 line 42 to page 17 line 40), and so in particular they cannot be used as exterior mounted components for automobile bodies.
The present invention was based on the object of finding a new process for producing polymer moldings (M/T/B) with functional surfaces (O) that no longer has the disadvantages of the prior art but instead gives polymer moldings (M/T/B) having outstanding surface properties. In particular the functional surfaces (O) ought to have outstanding leveling, outstanding distinctiveness of the reflected image (DOI), and very good gloss and ought to contain no visible surface defects. This ought also to apply in particular to those cases in which it is necessary to store the product of step (I) for a relatively long time before carrying out step (II) and/or the product of step (IV) for a relatively long time before carrying out step (V). Overall the polymer moldings (M/T/B) produced by the novel process ought to have what is termed automobile quality (in this respect see also European patent EP 0 352 298 B1, page 15 line 42 to page 17 line 40) so that they can be used in particular as exterior mounted components for automobile bodies, especially for top class automobile bodies.